LockedOn Giants: Friday Vibes

Closing out the first week of the regular-season prep with some thoughts and some audio clips.

Ah, Monday Night Football, how I missed you.

That's right, you read that correctly. But if you're new to this podcast or have no idea what I'm talking about, I've never been shy about expressing my disdain for night games and especially Monday Night Football, which from a professional perspective, is the worst of the worst.

Why is that, you ask? Long night, short deadline, and short work week to follow. It's awful, and I don't know anyone in the sports media business who works on deadline who likes MNF.

But look, after facing the prospect of there not being any football, here we are. So who cares if it's a night game that will create a short work week? We have football!

My change of heart for MNF isn't the only change of heart I've had. I share in head coach Joe Judge's feelings about playing starters on special teams, which you'll hear him explain.

I also continue to be impressed with how meticulous this man is in getting this team together--and remember, I covered the Coughlin years from start to finish.

I have no idea what the upcoming season holds for the Giants. But I like what they're doing and what they're saying, like how Saquon Barkley sits there and says (yes with a straight face) that he'll never be the running back he wants to be. And that's not because he doubts himself but because he recognizes how important it is to keep on reaching for the stars.

There will be a lot of people who, if the Giants get blown out by the Steelers (for the record, I think they lose to the Steelers, but I also think it will be a lot more competitive than some of the Giants games we've seen in the past), will have the pitchforks out.

But let me leave you with this since the next podcast is Tuesday: It's all about progress, and that progress is probably going to be made in baby steps that hopefully begin with the team being worthy of standing on the same field as the Steelers.